Fernando Alonso has revealed that Aston Martin has “things in the pipeline” amid the admission that it must improve the fundamental pace of its 2024 Formula 1 car.
Aston Martin has started this season in the same fifth place it occupied in the Constructors’ Championship last term behind Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.
Alonso produced a superb weekend in Japan to secure fifth on the grid before racing to a sixth-place finish, labelling his showing as “top five” in his entire F1 career.
Despite beating both Mercedes cars and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Alonso asserted that Aston Martin’s accelerated updates to Suzuka failed to move it up the order.
However, the Spaniard teased that the marque has more upgrades being prepared for future races as it bids to avoid the development slump it endured last season.
Asked whether he thought Aston Martin had a strong baseline to build on, Alonso said: “Let’s see, I think there are a couple of things in the pipeline to improve the car.
“I think in this first package is just the baseline of what we will introduce later in the season, so we still need to analyse many things.
“But as I said we are executing very well on Sundays, maximising the points, so even more than what we deserve normally.”
Alonso credited the gains that Aston Martin has made on the operational side with slick pit work ensuring he lost a single place to the one-stopping Charles Leclerc.
“Pit stops were great, you know, actually on the second stop when I saw the green light and I went, I said maybe they didn’t change all four tyres because this is for me felt like the fastest ever, so I don’t know, I’m curious to see the time, so there are small things here and there that are making possible to get the results,” he continued.
“But I think fundamentally the pace is not where we want to be and this is something we need to focus now.”
Pressed on the factors that have made him form that opinion on the current pecking order, Alonso coyly remarked: “I drive the car on track, that’s it.”
F1’s next outing takes the teams back to Asia as the Chinese Grand Prix returns after a five-year hiatus, with the prospect of a Sprint weekend to also contend with.
Alonso, who has won in Shanghai on two occasions in 2005 and 2013, believes the alternative format will provide openings that Aston Martin must capitalise upon.
“I think always it gives us a little bit more of an opportunity when you have a little bit of deficit on the pace, mixed conditions or Sprint weekends,” he previewed.
“All these kind of things always give you something extra, but it’s going to be tough, I think China with these long corners, front limited circuit, maybe like Australia, I expect Ferrari to be very fast, but also Red Bull and yeah, let’s see, we have a very powerful DRS and maybe that helps in the long China straight, so let’s see.”
